THE ARMY REMOUNT PROBLEM. 119 



less acquaintance between the owner and the officer may effect. The 

 only way to get anywhere in breeding is to be systematic, to adopt a 

 policy and stick to it. The man win? is always talking about crossing 

 ir, usually the man who has more mongrels than his neighbors. The 

 man who can cross successfully is the able breeder who needs no advice 

 or assistance and who breeds horses far above the Army standard. 



The experiment liaade in Virginia in the spring of 1911 * shows that 

 farmers will welcome an invitation to enter into cooperation with the 

 Government in the production of horses for the Army. It appeals 

 both to patriotism and the pocketbook. If such a plan is put into 

 effect, the Government will know where horses are, it will know what 

 they are, and it will be able to find and obtain them at a minimum 

 cost. 



A PLAN TO ENCOURAGE THE BREEDING OF HORSES FOR THE ARMY. 



With the establishment of direct purchases from farmers in con- 

 nection with the remount system, Army officers almost immediately 

 found that it was not an easy task to find the required number of 

 suitable horses and the matter was soon given consideration by the 

 War Department, with the result that the Secretary of War laid the 

 matter before the Secretary of Agriculture in 1910 and representa- 

 tives of the two departments were designated to devise means to 

 remedy the situation. The result was a plan for the encouragement 

 of breeding horses for the Arnry. This plan appears in full in the 

 Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry for the fisoal 

 3 r ear 1910. 2 In brief, the plan was drawn so as to provide in time for 

 a sufficient number of remounts annually for the mounted service of 

 the Army on the present peace footing. The country is to be divided 

 into four breeding districts and 100 stallions purchased to stand for 

 service free of charge for approved sound mares, the mare owner to 

 give in return an option on the resulting foal during the year it is 

 3 years of age. The localities suggested for breeding districts are 

 those where conditions are especially suited for horse raising, where 

 the prevailing type of mares is most likely to approach that desired 

 for the Army, where a light type of horse will always in the long 

 run be the most profitable to the farmer and draft horses least likely 

 to obtain a firm foothold, and where mares are sufficiently numerous 

 to give the stallions maximum service. 



Fifty Thoroughbred stallions, 25 Standardbreds, 15 Saddle stal- 

 lions, and 10 Morgans are suggested. 



ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST THE PLAN. 



Two arguments have been advanced against this plan the first, 

 that it is unnecessary because horses of the desired type are plentiful ; 



1 See p. 116. 2 See Circular 178, Bureau of Animal Industry. 



